Truck trailer combination



Feb. 22, 1938. I. H. JUDD '1'RUCK TRAILER COMBINATION Original Filed 900. 4, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .Zfrrz'n g I rl'acZcZ ATTORNEYS Feb. 22, 1938. JUDD I 2,108,968

TRUCK TRAILER COMBINATION Original Filed Dec. 4, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 63 4 IE 3 HUI/k6 1*; L I: ATTORNEYS a 37 i Feb, 22, 1938. m JUDD 2,108,968

TRUCK TRAILER COMBINATION ori inal Filed Dec. 4, 1935 a Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 171/27 /Z Judd ATTO RN EY Patented Feb. 22, 1938 2,108,968 r TRUCK TRAILER COMBINATION Irving H. Judd, Detroit, Mich assignor to Whitehead & Kales Company, River Rouge, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Original application December 4, 1933, Serial No.

Divided and this application May 7, 1934, Serial No. 724,385 e 12 Claims- (Cl. 28033.1) v

This invention relates generally to means for transporting automobiles such as truck-trailer combinations and constitutes a division of my application filed December 4, 1933, bearing Serial No. 700,923.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to provide a truck-trailer combination wherein means on the truck for carrying automobiles extends rearwardly over a fifth wheel connection between the chassis frame and front axle of a four-wheel trailer and terminates adjacent the upright side frames on the trailer, whereby an automobile may span the connection, and substantially all available space in front of the frames may be utilized for automobile carrying purposes.

' Another object is to'provide a combination of the type mentioned wherein the draft connection between the truck and trailer is independent 0 the fifth wheel connection aforesaid.

Anotherobject is to provide a truck-trailer combination wherein the automobile carrying means on the truck is. o constructed and arranged that it may be 1 aded from the trailer or directly from the ground.

Another object is to provide a truck-trailer combination wherein means is provided within a given space for carrying longer wheel base automobiles.

Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck-trailer combination embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the combination illustrated in Figure 1 with the portion 28 of the lower track inclined upwardly and com nected to the rear end of the upper track 20;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the combination when the truck is jackknifed relative to the trailer and is provided with skids so that automobiles may be loaded onto the truck without moving longitudinally of the trailer;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the truck-trailer combination with parts broken away and in section;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 8-6 of Figure 3;,

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the fifth wheel assembly and associated D Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation of one of w the draw bars and associated latch mechanism showing one of the pins 69 in operative latched position;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a portion of Figure 3 with parts broken away.

Referring now to the drawings, A is the truck and B is the trailer of a combination embodying my invention. As shown, the truck A has a chasing a portion II inclining upwardly and rearwardly from the chassis frame I. I2 and I3 respectively are uprights rigid with and projecting above the auxiliary frame I0, I4 are wheel fenders disposed upon the outer sides of and having depending portions I5 rigid with the uprights I2 and I3, and I6 are reinforcing gussets for the fenders. In this connection it will be noted that the fenders I4 are elongated in form so as to cover the front wheels I8 of the trailer as well as the rear wheels 5 of the truck, the rear end portions ll of said fenders being formed of flexible or yieldable material such as rubber, rubber composition or weighted canvas and normally hanging in a vertical plane from an angle crossbar I'Ia rigid with the top portions I9 of said fenders. Thus, the flexible portions I1 will aiford clearance when the trailer is being coupled or uncoupled. Moreover, the tops I9 of such fend-. ers are slightly inclined as shown instead of being curved longitudinally.

Preferably the truck A is designed to carry two automobiles and for this purpose is provided with upperand lower tracks 20 and 2| respectively. As shown, the upper track 20 is mounted on and extends forwardly and rearwardly beyond the top 22 of the cab, while the lower track H is mounted on and extends forwardly and rearwardly beyond the inclined portions I9 of the wheel fenders. The upper track 20 is preferably of sufiicient length to carry a 119" wheel base automobile C while the lower track 2| is sufficiently long to carry a 136" wheel base automobile D. In this connection it will be noted that the upper and lower tracks 20 and 2| are staggeredly arranged and that the lower track 2| extends from 'an angle iron 23 that crosses the I chassis frame I at the back 24 of the cab to a channel crossbar 25 at the rear end of the auxiliary frame I8. Angle irons 26 project laterally from the auxiliary frame l8 in advance of the fenders l4 and cooperate with the angle iron 23 to support the track 2|, while the angle bar |1a cooperates with the crossbar 25 to support the track. To facilitate loading of the upper track 28, an intermediate portion 28 of the lower track 2| is used as a skid between the tracks 2| and 28.

.Normally, this portion 28 is bolted at 29 to the upright side frames 33 and provided with frontand rear ground-engaging wheels l8 and 34 respectively. Preferably, the chassis frame 32 at the forward ends of the upright side frames is Y-shaped in plan and the stem 35 of the Y has an upwardly offset portion 31 at its forward end extending over and connected to the front axle 38 of the trailer by a fifth wheel 39. The trailer B also carries two automobiles and for this purpose has upper and lower tracks 48 and 4| respectively which may be loaded by skids (not shown) from the ground. Preferably the lower track 4| is carried by the chassis frame 32 between the upright side frames 33 and is sufficiently long to carry a 130" wheel base automobile E, while the upper track 48 is carried by hingedly mounted crossbars,43 and 44 respectively on the side frames 33 and is sufllciently long to carry a 136" wheel base automobile F.

Preferably the upper plate 45 of the fifth wheel 39 is rigid with the offset portion 31 of the frame, while the lower plate 45 of said fifth wheel is con nected to the upper plate 45 by a'king pin 41 and is rigid with the centers of transversely extending leaf springs 48 and 49 respectively, terminally engaging suitable brackets 58 and 5| respectively rigid with the front axle 38 of the trailer. As shown, the springs 48 and 49 are fastened by bolts 52 and 53 respectively to the brackets 5| and have slip engagement with suitable slots 54 and 55 respectively in the brackets 58. Preferably both brackets 58 and 5| have inverted U-shaped portions '55 straddling the axle 38 and fastened thereto by bolts 51.

58 is a channel crossbar in advance of the brackets 58 and 5| and disposed parallel to the axle 38. Preferably the base 59 of the channel 58 bears against and is secured to the front faces of the brackets 58 and 5|, while the lower side 58 of said crossbar is connected to the axle 38-by a bolt 5| and nut 5|a, suitable brackets 5| b and 5|c being welded to the crossbar 58 and axle 38 respectively and receiving said bolt. A tube 5|d is sleeved upon the bolt 5| between said brackets and serves as a spacer.

52 are parallel plates secured in the channel crossbar 58 at opposite ends thereof, 53 and 54.

their forward ends for receiving horizontal pins 59 and 18 respectively carried by bifurcated portions 1| and 12 respectively of brackets 13 a d .of automobile C (Figure 1).

14 respectively rigld with gussets 15 and '15 respectively welded to the crossbar 11 of the chassis frame I of the truck. As shown, the draw bars 53 and 54 are movable forwardly and rearwardly in the bifurcated portions 1| and 12 over the pins 59 and 18 and have beveled faces 18 to facilitate engagement with and removal from the pins. Bosses 88 respectively are fixed to the undersides of'the draw bars 53 and 54 and contain large bolts or plungers 82 and 83 respectively which are normally held forwardly across the slots 51 and 58 by coil springs 84 and are retractable by manually operable pull rods 85. Preferably these pull rods 85 are swivelly connected to the latch bolts 82 and 83 so that they may be turned ninety degrees and have eyes 88 and 89 respectively at their rear ends that may be engaged with pins 98 and 9| respectively projecting downwardly from the draw bars 53 and 54 when it is desired to retain the latch bolts 82 and 83 in retracted position.

When loading the combination, the trailer B may be in alignment withthe truck A as, illustrated in Figure 1 or the truck A may be jackknifed, i. e., turned at an angle relative to the trailer B as illustrated in Figure 3. When the parts are in alignment, the combination is loaded by first swinging the upper track 48 of the trailer upwardly over one upright side frame 33 to an inoperative position for clearance purposes and then driving automobile C from the ground up skids (not shown) attached to the rear end of the trailer over track 4| .between the upright side frames 33 up skids (not shown) onto track 2| on the truck, then up track section 28 (Figure 2) onto track 28. Track section 28 is then returned to nested position with section 3| of track 2|.

Automobile D is then driven from the ground up the skids attached to the rearend of the trailer B over track 4| between the upright side frames 33 up skids onto track 2| beneath the rear end Automobile E is then driven from the ground up skids onto track 4|. The track 48 is then returned to lowered operative position (Figure 1), and finally automobile F is driven from the ground up skids (not shown) onto said track 48. When the truck A is jackknifed (Figure 3), then automobiles C and greater over-all width. than the distance between the upright side frames 33 may be loaded onto tracks 28 and 2| when the truck is jackknifed as aforesaid.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer provided with a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of said frame, a fifth wheel connection between said chassis frame and the forward axle, automobile carrying means on the chassis frame in rear of the fifth wheel connection, and a draft vehicle for the trailer connected thereto and having automobile carrying means extending over the fifth wheel connection to a point adjacent the automobile carrying means on the trailer and constructed in such a way that it may be loaded from the automobile carrying means on the trailer or from the ground.

2. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of sa d f ame, a fifth Wheel connection between said connection and terminating adjacent the auto mobile carrying means aforesaid on the trailer.

3. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of said frame, a fifth wheel connection between said means to the other,

frame and the forward axle, automobile carrying means carried by the chassis frame and extending over one of said axles, and a draft vehicle for the trailer connected thereto independently of the fifth wheel connection and having a frame extending over said fifth wheel connection and materially overlapping the chassis frame of the trailer, and automobile carrying means carried by the last mentioned frame and constructed and arranged in such a way that an automobile carried thereby may span the fifth wheel connection and materially overlap the trailer.

4. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of said frame, a fifth wheel connection between the chassis frame and the forward axle, upright side frames on the chassis frame in rear of the fifth wheel connection, automobile carrying means on the chassis frame between the upright side frames, and a truck connected to said trailer independently of the fifth wheel connection and having automobile carrying means extending rearwardly over said fifth wheel connection and terminating in close proximity to the upright frames whereby substantially all available space at the front of the upright frames on the trailer may be utilized for automobile carrying purposes, the automobile carrying means on the trailer and truck being so constructed and arranged that an automobile may be driven from one of said and the connection between said truck and trailer being such that the truck may be so positioned relative to the trailer that an automobile may be driven from the ground onto the automobile carrying means on the truck without passing over the automobile carrying means on the trailer.

5. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of said frame; a fifth wheel connection between the chassis frame and the forward axle, upright side frames on the chassis frame in rear of the fifth wheel connection, an automobile track on the,

chassis frame between the upright side frames, and a truck connected to the trailer independently of the fifth wheel connection and having a frame extending rearwardly over said fifth wheel connection and materially overlapping the chassis frame of the trailer, and an automobile track carried by the last mentioned frame and terminating in close proximity to the upright frames on the trailer whereby substantially all available space at the front of the upright frames on the trailer may be utilized for automobile carrying purposes.

6. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer provided with a chassis frame, transversely extending axles at the forward and rear ends of said frame, the axle at the forward end of said frame being movable relative thereto, automobile carrying means on the chassis frame in rear of the axle at the forward end of said frame, and a draft vehicle for the trailer connected thereto and having automobile carrying means extending over the axle at the forward end of the trailer to a point adjacent the automobile carrying means on the trailer and constructed in such a way that it may be loaded from the automobile carrying means on the trailer or from the ground.

'1. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame provided with front and rear axles having ground-engaging wheels, the front axle being movable relative to said chassis frame, automobile carrying means on the chassis frame in rear of the front axle and extending over the rear axle, a draft vehicle for the trailer having a chassis frame provided with front and rear axles having ground-engaging wheels, and a connection between the chassis frames of said draft vehicle and trailer constantly maintaining the front axle of. the trailer substantially parallel to the rear axle of the truck,

a portion of said draft vehicle extending over said connection and over the front axle of the trailer independently of the latter and having automobile carrying means capable of being loaded from the automobile carrying means on the trailer or from the ground.

8. A truck-trailer combination comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, upper and lower automobile carrying tracks carried by said frame,

front and rear supporting axles provided with ground wheels, the rear axle extending transversely of the lower track, the front axle being in advance of said lower track, a portion of the frame projecting forwardly in advance of the lower track and having a portion overlying the front axle, a fifth wheel connection between said frame and front axle, and a tractor forthe trailer connected thereto independently of the fifth wheel connection and having automobile carrying means extending rearwardly over said fifth wheel and frame aforesaid to a point adjacent the forward ends of said tracks on the trailer.

9. A truck-trailer combination, comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, vertically spaced substantially horizontal tracks for automobiles supported on said chassis frame at the rear end thereof, the portion of the chassis frame in advance of said tracks being substantially Y-shape in plan, front and rear axles provided with ground wheels, the rear axle being connected to said chassis frame adjacent the rear end of said lower track, the front axle being adjacent the forward end of the stem of said Y-shaped portion, a fifth wheel connection between said stem and front axle, and a tractor for the trailer connected thereto independently of the fifth wheel connection and having automobile carrying means extending rearwardly over said fifth wheel connection and Y-shaped portion of the chassis frame to a point adjacent the forward ends of said tracks.

10. A truck-trailer combination, comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, automobile carrying means supported on said chassis frame at the rear end thereof, the portion of the chassis frame in advance of said automobile carrying means being substantially Y-shaped in plan, front and rear axles provided with ground wheels, the rear axle being connected to said chassis frame adjacent the rear end of said automobile carrying means, the front axle being adjacent the forward end of the stem of said Y-shaped portion, a fifth wheel connection between said stem and axles provided with ground wheels, the rear axle being connected to said frame adjacent the rear end of said track, the front axle being in advance of said track, a fifth wheel connection between said frame and front axle, and a tractor for the trailer connected thereto independently of the fifth wheel connection and having automobile carrying means extending rearwardly over said fifth wheel to a. point adjacent the forward end of said track on the trailer.

12. A truck-trailer combination, comprising a trailer having a chassis frame, automobile carrying means supported on said frame, a portion of said frame projecting forwardly in advance of said automobile carrying means, front and rear axles provided with ground wheels, the rear axle being connected to said frame adjacent the rear end of said automobile carrying means, the front axle being at the forward end of the forwardly projecting portion of said frame, a flfth wheel connection between said front axle and the forwardly projecting portion of said frame, a tractor for the trailer having automobile carrying means above said fifth wheel connection and extending rearwardly over the forwardly projecting portion of said frame to a point adjacent the auto mobile carrying means on the trailer, and a draft connection between the tractor and trailer independent of the fifth wheel connection aforesaid. 7

IRVING H. JUDD. 

